Avoidable requisitions add extra work for conveyancers, slow down the registration process and can affect the experience clients receive. HM Land Registry’s avoidable requisition dataset, training and guidance support firms to identify where improvements can be made.
Commercial property applications are rarely straightforward. For firms dealing with complex portfolios, new build schemes, securitisations or technically demanding register-create applications, the risk of requisitions tends to be higher. Yet Trowers & Hamlins, an international law firm with a significant commercial property practice, consistently maintains an excellent 1% avoidable requisition rate. While total requisitions vary naturally in line with caseload, the firm’s overall number is still lower than the average.
So, what sits behind that level of quality - and what can other firms learn from it? I talked to Senior Knowledge Lawyer David Zong about the firm’s approach.
Keeping responsibility close to the transaction
One of the firm’s biggest strengths is its structure. Instead of separating completion work from transactional teams, Trowers & Hamlins keeps the two firmly connected. Trainees, paralegals and lawyers work side by side on matters from start to finish.
This means the people submitting applications understand the context, spot issues earlier and maintain their practical knowledge of HM Land Registry (HMLR) requirements. A small, centralised paralegal team adds resilience without removing accountability from teams on the ground.
Specialist expertise for complex work
The firm works across a broad range of commercial property matters, many of them highly technical. To manage this, specialist teams focus on specific application types - for example, securitisation, first registrations or complex lease work. Knowledge lawyers provide oversight, offering direct access to specialist guidance and ensuring the right expertise is always available and minimising repeat problems.
Collaboration, problem solving and senior-level visibility
Quality isn’t just a technical exercise - it’s cultural. When people feel safe to flag potential issues they catch them earlier, and at Trowers & Hamlins colleagues are encouraged to raise issues early and constructively. Partners step in when needed, setting expectations and supporting teams through challenging periods.
Targeted training and continuous improvement
The firm prioritises practical training over dashboards or metrics. Senior knowledge lawyers run “surgical interventions” - office visits and workshops built around realistic case studies containing embedded errors. This helps staff understand what good looks like in practice, not just in theory.
Training is reinforced through updated practice notes, templates and online modules, including HMLR's free application support workshops. The firm also tracks the cost of requisitions and reports them to senior management, linking errors with time, cost and profitability – a powerful motivator for fee-earning teams.
Reducing avoidable friction
The firm analyses recurring requisition themes and updates its internal guidance accordingly. For example, when multiple execution methods are legally acceptable, it recommends the method least likely to trigger a requisition - preventing the same issue from resurfacing. This proactive, pragmatic method reduces friction for both HMLR and clients and can eliminate whole categories of avoidable queries.
Using technology with care
Following an extensive review, the firm decided not to adopt a third-party post-completion platform. Instead, it relies on HMLR’s Digital Registration Service for its built-in checks and uses productivity tools to automate repetitive drafting and reduce typing errors.
Working with HMLR to resolve recurring issues
Regular conversations with their HMLR account manager help the firm understand common sticking points and emerging trends. This collaboration recently helped resolve issues relating to applications involving charities and community benefit societies.
Challenges in commercial and register-create applications
Commercial work – and especially register-create applications - often leads to more complicated requisitions than residential cases. Issues can be highly technical and difficult to anticipate, and problems can crop up early, during drafting or negotiation, where detailed knowledge of the Land Registration Act and practice guides is crucial. David acknowledges HMLR's specialist support services which, as long as the application has not already been submitted, can help with particularly thorny or unusual questions.
Conclusion
Trowers & Hamlins’ approach to quality isn’t built on a single innovation. It’s a combination of structure, culture, specialist knowledge, practical training and collaboration - inside the firm and with HMLR. The result is a consistent focus on quality, even in the complex and time-sensitive world of commercial property transactions.
Takeaway tips
David points to three practical measures he believes make a big difference to outcomes:
- Ensure transactional lawyers understand HMLR’s detailed requirements - avoid deskilling by keeping responsibility close to the deal team.
- Look beyond overall requisition rates and focus on specific issues that can lead to errors.
- Use data and insight to pinpoint these recurring, specific issues, then address them through practical training and updates to guidance.
Work with us
HMLR is committed to providing relevant, practical support when and where it’s needed. Visit our training hub for round-the-clock access to free guidance, training, videos and workshops.
If your avoidable requisition rate is higher than 5%, get in touch to find out how we can help: customercommunicationsteam@landregistry.gov.uk
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